Rural Preservation

According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, rural America includes some 55 million people and 80 percent of the nation’s landscape. Rural historic places range from farmsteads and ranches to Main Streets, country stores, schools, churches, mill villages, bridges, scenic byways, fieldstone walls, archeological sites and more. However, major economic, cultural and demographic shifts can bring changes to rural communities. Shrinking agricultural, forestry, mining and manufacturing industries all lead to population loss, and the abandonment of historic structures and sites.Rural communities in the Adirondacks face all of these challenges – there are downtowns with vacant storefronts and upper floors that need revitalization; dwindling congregations and consolidation has led to abandoned churches; former mining towns are struggling, or have been completely abandoned; and new development has threatened, and in some cases destroyed, historic structures. In addition, the agricultural industry, an area that has consistently been threatened for years, has left the landscape dotted with abandoned barns, silos, and other outbuildings. Finding uses for these structures involves imagination, ingenuity, and community commitment.There are programs available to assist with the revitalization and preservation of rural communities and farms.